A television "seance" to contact the spirit of late Beatle John Lennon has been defended by its producer.

The programme, which will air on a US pay-per-view digital channel, has been branded as "tasteless" by critics.

Its producer, who made a show in 2003 to forge contact with Diana, Princess of Wales, says The Spirit of John Lennon is a "serious" broadcast.

The musician's widow, Yoko Ono, has not given consent for the broadcast and was not available for comment.

Obvious choice

The programme, which will be shown on the In Demand channel on 24 April, will charge viewers $9.95 (£5.67) to see the show.

The Spirit of Diana cost viewers $14.95 (£8.52) to watch and drew an audience of 500,000 people in the US.

It was also seen on cable in the UK.

Paul Sharratt, who heads the production company behind the show, said: "People say this is disgusting and I accept that criticism, but we're making a serious attempt to do something that many, many millions of people around the world think is possible."

Mediums on The Spirit of Diana reported she was having fun

The programme-maker added that he was sceptical about paranormal phenomena even after psychics had attempted to make contact with Diana.

"I didn't come out a total believer, but it was good for a lot of people as a tribute to Diana," said Mr Sharratt.

He added that Lennon was the obvious choice for the next TV seance, and that Yoko Ono and other people associated with the singer have been invited to take part in the programme.

Paranormal activity

"Lennon was very interested in the spiritual world. It's a natural follow-up to the Diana seance," said Mr Sharratt.

The programme will include visits to places frequented by Lennon, such as Capitol Records in Los Angeles where he recorded, and a town in India where he attended a spiritual retreat.

A spirit reader who claims he can receive musical notes and lyrics from Lennon will also be featured.

The show will culminate with a 30-minute seance in a room filled with infrared cameras.